Well France and Spain at least!.. Anyway in brief!...
Our grand European driving tour starts with a ferry crossing from Newhaven to Dieppe then a drive into Normandy to stay with friends in Flers.
From there we will move down to the Lot valley in southern France and stay for a while in another friend's small cottage in Puy L'Eveque.
An overnight hop to Girona will get us over the border and then we move on to Valencia for the Fallas (meeting more friends there!) After spending a week there we will then have another week or so near Murcia on the Costa Calida then Easter week will be spent in Tondos near Cuenca with more friends - where we will be joined by Luisa, Ema and the children. This will give us chance to catch up with everyone we know in Cuenca.
We will possibly have a few days with the girls in Madrid and when they fly home we will start our journey back up through Spain via Pamplona and cross the border back into France and stay again in Puy L'Eveque.
From there we will overnight between Tours and Le Mans and arrive back up at Dieppe ready for our crossing back to Newhaven - and then home!...
So that's the plan - about 6 1/2 weeks I think...
Thursday 5 March
We set off for Newhaven in plenty of time and decided to stop off at Brighton for a walk round and something to eat.
We were just in time for the sunset and to see the starlings do their evening manoeuvres...
We then popped into a restaurant called the Regency (very popular with Chinese people we were told as one of their big stars had eaten there recently!) and had lovely fresh fish and chips.
Whilst there Mike read an email from DFDS the ferry company to say that the ferry was running an hour late.
By the time we arrived at the port this had gone to one and a half hours meaning that it wouldn't sail until the early hours of the morning.
But in compensation they gave us free tea and coffee vouchers whilst we waited and another voucher for a two course meal when on board the ferry - just what you need in the middle of the night!!
Not a bad start to the holiday though!...
Friday 6 March
The ferry made up time on the journey across 'La Manche' and we arrived in Dieppe in the early hours. Driving in the dark was a bit scary until Mike adjusted to driving on the right. We were surprised at how cold it was... down to -3 degrees!! It had definitely been warmer than that in Greenmount when we left!
And so to Flers!...
How lovely it was to see our friends Yvette and Alain again!
They have a beautiful house and since we last visited (about 13 years ago!) they have added a lovely conservatory with a high balcony and verandah which looks out over their garden and the little wooded valley below!
So pretty - and a beautiful view to say that they are on the outskirts of the town!
A lovely walk in the sunshine round the grounds of the chateau in Flers...
Very strange to see a red phone box in the centre of town!...
Yvette and Alain have a cat - well the cat belonged to Lise but she left it when she went to university. This is another cat with an identity crisis!...
The cat was named Scat (from the Aristocats) by Lise but was then called 'Le Chat' after a cartoon strip in the newspaper.
But when the cat is naughty they call him Marcel!!
As he was asleep here in the middle of the kitchen table it was a 'Marcel' day!
One confused cat!...
Saturday 7 March
What a nice way to start the weekend - at a wine tasting! So of course we had to buy a few bottles after we had tried them!...
Then a raclette for lunch! Little pans that you fill with cheese and melt under a grill - you can then put it on your meat or vegetables. Probably not too good for you in large quantities - but absolutely delicious!...
... and then a walk in the sunshine in the beautiful village of Bagnole sur l'Orne. This village became famous for the minerals in the waters which were considered to be good for circulation etc. So it became quite a spa town....
And in the evening - a formal dinner hosted by the rotary club and the wine sellers from the morning.
Mike and Alain worked out that they had tried at least 12 different wines during the course of the day!!
The food was lovely - all quite POSH especially Yvette in her French chic!
Yvette's first selfie - quite nice in black and white!
The second beautiful sunset...
Sunday 9 March
This was National Women's Day and Lidl celebrated by giving every lady shopper a single rose. Yvette seemed quite underwhelmed with hers - understandable!...
Another day of brilliant weather so we decided to go for a walk and a picnic. As you can see Yvette was very happy to be out in the sunshine!...
It was lovely and warm - and positively hot on the little sheltered hillock where we had our picnic...
...and what a picnic! Smoked duck breast, rillettes, fish, cheese, chorizo, ham etc, etc...
Delicious!
And all served on a blue checked table cloth just as it should be!
Don't think I'll get away with packing a cheese sandwich and a packet of crisps next time Mike and I go on a picnic....
There was just enough time after our walk for another short walk around Domfront before we left to visit Yvette and Alain's friends for tea and cake.
Monday 9 March
Time to say goodbye to Yvette and Alain. We had had a wonderful few days and were treated like royalty - thank you both so much! Hopefully we will see them soon when they visit their daughter Marie and her family who are living in Salford Quays at the moment.
So - an early start for our long journey down to Puy l'Eveque near Cahors. We had decided to take the toll roads but it didn't start well as we had just paid to get onto the toll when the police stopped us to redirect us as there had been an accident.
Dora (the Explorer - sat nav) got most indignant at having to change direction and spent nearly an hour telling us to make a U turn!
After a confused hour we eventually found our way back onto the motorway further down and Dora was happy again!
And so after a drive down most of the length of France we arrived at Puy l'Eveque - to stay in a charming little house with many of its original features - tucked away behind the town hall next to the market square. We were too tired to do anything more than look at the beautiful sunset over the river Lot...
Outside the Mairie overlooking the river Lot...
Tuesday 10 March
Misty morning view and breakfast...
A walk round the town in the sunshine...
As it was so sunny we stopped at a little bar by the river for a glass (well bottle) of La Grenouille (frog) wine and a little snack - very nice!...
Wednesday 11 March
The sun rose exactly in a little gap between two houses on the horizon!...
Every time I walk down the stairs I catch the back of my heel - probably because they are so narrow (the stone steps not my shoes!) It's probably as well that we are not here for too long - I'd be needing new shoes!!
We decided to have a little drive round some of the local villages - Grezels, Belaye, Anglars, Albas, Castelfranc and Prayssac. We used the tiny local roads so that we could stay close to the river - very pretty. And more sunshine - and no tourist cars which was nice!!...
It was strange to see the vines with no grapes on them - just twigs!...
We went under this crane in one village - it was in a field on one side and the bucket had been lifted up to the roof and two men, standing in the bucket, were transferring roof tiles from there to the roof. 'Elf n safety' would be having a seizure back in the UK!...
These stones were down the centre of a road and it looks as though children had painted some of them to look like ladybirds and bugs - very pretty...
And we really liked this large bottle of wine at a view point in Albas...
And then back to Puy l'Eveque for a walk...
The steps that led to nowhere...
We walked down to the restaurant that we had visited previously only to find that it was shut - as was the hotel by the Town Hall. But no problem - we just fetched our beer and glasses from round the corner and sat on the bench in the Town Hall square (probably flouting some local by law about drinking in public places!) and enjoyed the sunshine and the view down over the Lot...
It is a beautiful town and we have been very lucky as we have virtually had the place to ourselves! It's a bit too early for tourists I think - but that suits us just fine!
Definitely a place to come back to - oh! we are doing next month... Yay!
Friday 13 March
Another pack up and move on day...
To Salt - just outside of Girona - so over the border in SPAIN!! We crossed the border near the coast and we could see the Pyrenees in the distance. Some of the mountains are still snow topped - that's snow not cloud!..
Mike got a bit fed up with me waving my camera round in the car trying to take pictures but it's very boring just sitting there for hours on end...
I remember the monument thing at the crossing but we weren't stopped or asked for our passports which seemed a bit strange. A couple of miles down the road there was a border control of sorts where the police seemed to be doing random car searches - but they just waved us through which was lucky - don't know how we would have managed to repack the boot if it had been emptied - or how we would explain having 10 onesies and 4 large simnel cakes in there...
We used the toll motorways in France for speed mainly and they were always quiet. It was the same at first in Spain on the toll roads but the speed was slightly lower.
We arrived in sunshine at our hotel so we dumped our bags and headed for the town centre - only about 3 miles away. And we just wandered...
Girona is in Cataluna and they want independence - all street signs and anything written is in dialect and the flags fly everywhere...
We had a short walk on the walls - bit high for me though...
So next stop Valencia for the Fallas - and time for a new post as this one is getting a bit long!...
Our grand European driving tour starts with a ferry crossing from Newhaven to Dieppe then a drive into Normandy to stay with friends in Flers.
From there we will move down to the Lot valley in southern France and stay for a while in another friend's small cottage in Puy L'Eveque.
An overnight hop to Girona will get us over the border and then we move on to Valencia for the Fallas (meeting more friends there!) After spending a week there we will then have another week or so near Murcia on the Costa Calida then Easter week will be spent in Tondos near Cuenca with more friends - where we will be joined by Luisa, Ema and the children. This will give us chance to catch up with everyone we know in Cuenca.
We will possibly have a few days with the girls in Madrid and when they fly home we will start our journey back up through Spain via Pamplona and cross the border back into France and stay again in Puy L'Eveque.
From there we will overnight between Tours and Le Mans and arrive back up at Dieppe ready for our crossing back to Newhaven - and then home!...
So that's the plan - about 6 1/2 weeks I think...
Thursday 5 March
We set off for Newhaven in plenty of time and decided to stop off at Brighton for a walk round and something to eat.
We were just in time for the sunset and to see the starlings do their evening manoeuvres...
We then popped into a restaurant called the Regency (very popular with Chinese people we were told as one of their big stars had eaten there recently!) and had lovely fresh fish and chips.Whilst there Mike read an email from DFDS the ferry company to say that the ferry was running an hour late.
By the time we arrived at the port this had gone to one and a half hours meaning that it wouldn't sail until the early hours of the morning.
But in compensation they gave us free tea and coffee vouchers whilst we waited and another voucher for a two course meal when on board the ferry - just what you need in the middle of the night!!
Not a bad start to the holiday though!...
Friday 6 March
The ferry made up time on the journey across 'La Manche' and we arrived in Dieppe in the early hours. Driving in the dark was a bit scary until Mike adjusted to driving on the right. We were surprised at how cold it was... down to -3 degrees!! It had definitely been warmer than that in Greenmount when we left!
And so to Flers!...
How lovely it was to see our friends Yvette and Alain again!
They have a beautiful house and since we last visited (about 13 years ago!) they have added a lovely conservatory with a high balcony and verandah which looks out over their garden and the little wooded valley below!
So pretty - and a beautiful view to say that they are on the outskirts of the town!
A lovely walk in the sunshine round the grounds of the chateau in Flers...
Very strange to see a red phone box in the centre of town!...Yvette and Alain have a cat - well the cat belonged to Lise but she left it when she went to university. This is another cat with an identity crisis!...
The cat was named Scat (from the Aristocats) by Lise but was then called 'Le Chat' after a cartoon strip in the newspaper. But when the cat is naughty they call him Marcel!!As he was asleep here in the middle of the kitchen table it was a 'Marcel' day!
One confused cat!...
Saturday 7 March
What a nice way to start the weekend - at a wine tasting! So of course we had to buy a few bottles after we had tried them!...
... and then a walk in the sunshine in the beautiful village of Bagnole sur l'Orne. This village became famous for the minerals in the waters which were considered to be good for circulation etc. So it became quite a spa town....
It was the first day of the fishing season so there were lots of chocolate fish for sale in the chocolate and cake shop and Yvette showed me her favourite clothes shop - very expensive so she just looks!...
Coffee in the sunshine and the beautiful art deco church behind us...
And in the evening - a formal dinner hosted by the rotary club and the wine sellers from the morning.
Mike and Alain worked out that they had tried at least 12 different wines during the course of the day!!
The food was lovely - all quite POSH especially Yvette in her French chic!
Yvette's first selfie - quite nice in black and white!
The second beautiful sunset...
Sunday 9 March
This was National Women's Day and Lidl celebrated by giving every lady shopper a single rose. Yvette seemed quite underwhelmed with hers - understandable!...
Another day of brilliant weather so we decided to go for a walk and a picnic. As you can see Yvette was very happy to be out in the sunshine!...
It was lovely and warm - and positively hot on the little sheltered hillock where we had our picnic...
...and what a picnic! Smoked duck breast, rillettes, fish, cheese, chorizo, ham etc, etc...
Delicious!
And all served on a blue checked table cloth just as it should be!
Don't think I'll get away with packing a cheese sandwich and a packet of crisps next time Mike and I go on a picnic....
There was just enough time after our walk for another short walk around Domfront before we left to visit Yvette and Alain's friends for tea and cake.
Monday 9 March
So - an early start for our long journey down to Puy l'Eveque near Cahors. We had decided to take the toll roads but it didn't start well as we had just paid to get onto the toll when the police stopped us to redirect us as there had been an accident.
Dora (the Explorer - sat nav) got most indignant at having to change direction and spent nearly an hour telling us to make a U turn!
After a confused hour we eventually found our way back onto the motorway further down and Dora was happy again!
And so after a drive down most of the length of France we arrived at Puy l'Eveque - to stay in a charming little house with many of its original features - tucked away behind the town hall next to the market square. We were too tired to do anything more than look at the beautiful sunset over the river Lot...
Outside the Mairie overlooking the river Lot...
Misty morning view and breakfast...
A walk round the town in the sunshine...
As it was so sunny we stopped at a little bar by the river for a glass (well bottle) of La Grenouille (frog) wine and a little snack - very nice!...
Wednesday 11 March
The sun rose exactly in a little gap between two houses on the horizon!...
The little house we are staying in belongs to Ian (in Australia) - the brother of a friend, Richard. It's a dinky little place tucked down a tiny side street by the Town Hall. Lots of exposed stonework and nice features...
Every time I walk down the stairs I catch the back of my heel - probably because they are so narrow (the stone steps not my shoes!) It's probably as well that we are not here for too long - I'd be needing new shoes!!We decided to have a little drive round some of the local villages - Grezels, Belaye, Anglars, Albas, Castelfranc and Prayssac. We used the tiny local roads so that we could stay close to the river - very pretty. And more sunshine - and no tourist cars which was nice!!...
It was strange to see the vines with no grapes on them - just twigs!...
We went under this crane in one village - it was in a field on one side and the bucket had been lifted up to the roof and two men, standing in the bucket, were transferring roof tiles from there to the roof. 'Elf n safety' would be having a seizure back in the UK!...
These stones were down the centre of a road and it looks as though children had painted some of them to look like ladybirds and bugs - very pretty...
And we really liked this large bottle of wine at a view point in Albas...
And then back to Puy l'Eveque for a walk...
The steps that led to nowhere...
We walked down to the restaurant that we had visited previously only to find that it was shut - as was the hotel by the Town Hall. But no problem - we just fetched our beer and glasses from round the corner and sat on the bench in the Town Hall square (probably flouting some local by law about drinking in public places!) and enjoyed the sunshine and the view down over the Lot...
It is a beautiful town and we have been very lucky as we have virtually had the place to ourselves! It's a bit too early for tourists I think - but that suits us just fine!
Definitely a place to come back to - oh! we are doing next month... Yay!
Friday 13 March
Another pack up and move on day...
To Salt - just outside of Girona - so over the border in SPAIN!! We crossed the border near the coast and we could see the Pyrenees in the distance. Some of the mountains are still snow topped - that's snow not cloud!..
Mike got a bit fed up with me waving my camera round in the car trying to take pictures but it's very boring just sitting there for hours on end...
I remember the monument thing at the crossing but we weren't stopped or asked for our passports which seemed a bit strange. A couple of miles down the road there was a border control of sorts where the police seemed to be doing random car searches - but they just waved us through which was lucky - don't know how we would have managed to repack the boot if it had been emptied - or how we would explain having 10 onesies and 4 large simnel cakes in there...
We used the toll motorways in France for speed mainly and they were always quiet. It was the same at first in Spain on the toll roads but the speed was slightly lower.
We arrived in sunshine at our hotel so we dumped our bags and headed for the town centre - only about 3 miles away. And we just wandered...
Girona is in Cataluna and they want independence - all street signs and anything written is in dialect and the flags fly everywhere...
We had a short walk on the walls - bit high for me though...
So next stop Valencia for the Fallas - and time for a new post as this one is getting a bit long!...
Hi Ma n Mike! Just checking in!! Didn't recognize Yvette and Alain it's been so long since I've seen them! Have fun. Luisa x
ReplyDeleteHi Luisa - Yvette and Alain said that if you didn't recognise them then it was time you went to stay again! Their house is just the same - apart from the new conservatory and balcony. We are now in Puy L'Eveque staying in Richard's brother Ian's house. Both the house and village are really pretty. xx
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